FILE 450 / 15 December 2023 / 72 MIN / express

You Are... Not The Father

Deer Park, WashingtonListen

The town

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

James says the episode is going to Deer Park, Washington, in eastern Washington, 35 minutes from Spokane about 0:03:48

History, in brief

Town note

The name Deer Park came from railroad surveyors who saw deer in the area.

about 0:04:55

1889

The Standard Lumber Company sawmill was established by William Short and George Crawford to provide lumber to rebuild Spokane Falls (later Spokane) after the great fire of 1889.

about 0:05:27
All 5 history facts

Town note

The name Deer Park came from railroad surveyors who saw deer in the area.

about 0:04:55

1889

The Standard Lumber Company sawmill was established by William Short and George Crawford to provide lumber to rebuild Spokane Falls (later Spokane) after the great fire of 1889.

about 0:05:27

1906

The Arcadia Apple Orchards Company was established in 1906, planting apple trees where the land had been cleared for logging.

about 0:05:59

The figures, as told

Money

Median home value$451,800
Median household income$53,910
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2023

Population

"4,366"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:04:21

Median household income

"$53,910"

Comparison: "national average of about $69,000". No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:04:29

Median home price

"$451,800"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:04:36

The reviews

3.3 / 5 · average of 4

5 stars

“The perfect small town: scenery and parks, lots of shops, hometown restaurants, great for families, and great education.”
about 0:06:17

4 stars

“Typical small town America ten minutes from Spokane city limits, evergreen trees and snow covered mountains, a few miles from the Canadian border so you can make Canadian friends.”
about 0:06:50

3 stars

“Described as terrible: people are very unwelcoming to outsiders and have very closed-minded beliefs; the reviewer does not recommend moving there.”
about 0:07:37

1 star

“Deer Park used to be a great family-friendly area with plenty of activities, but recently the drug problem has got out of hand and the community feels unwelcoming.”
about 0:08:22

In Washington

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The story

Deer Park, Washington, is a town of 4,366 people about 35 minutes from Spokane in the east of the state. It was named by railroad surveyors who saw deer there, settled in 1889, and grew around the Standard Lumber Company sawmill, set up to rebuild Spokane Falls after the great fire of 1889, and the Arcadia Apple Orchards Company of 1906. Median household income is $53,910 against a national figure of about $69,000, and the median home price is $451,800.

The story is about Chanin Denise Conway, called Shannon, born in 1969 in Anderson, Indiana. They had five children. In July 2010 they filed for divorce again. Shannon was dating men she met online.

His phone was then turned off. At 9:18 a.m. a 35 second 911 call from Shannon's phone captured a high-pitched guttural sound and a struggle. The operator called back once and did not log the call. A welfare check on December 2 found the house dark and locked. On December 3, after a friend called, deputies had the landlord open the door at North Reiper Street and found Shannon dead on her bed, naked, bruised and posed with a sex toy, with the sheets missing. The coroner found strangulation with something soft or a choke hold, stun gun injuries, 11 broken ribs, a broken bone in the trachea area and signs her hands had been bound, and believed she died on December 1.

Detective James Dresback thought his grief was faked. DNA consistent with the male Starbuck line was found on her neck, face and fingernails, while three unidentified males contributed DNA to her neck, phone and vaginal swabs. Tom Walker and a married teacher, John Kenline, who used the alias John Wilson, were both ruled out by alibis and the lack of any trace of them at the scene. Prosecutors said he faked the car trouble, hid in the house, attacked her with a stun gun, and used gloves to send texts from her phone. They gave his monthly obligation of $4,700 as the motive. Death was not sought.

On December 18, 2021 their 25-year-old daughter Logan, who is on the autism spectrum, disappeared. She was found on February 10, 2022 in the Spokane River near the Sans Souci mobile home park, dead from drowning, and the death was ruled a suicide.

The case

Murder of Chanin Starbuck

Victims

Chanin Denise Conway Starbuck (called Shannon) (42). Mother of five, born 1969 in Anderson, Indiana, Mormon, studying as a dental assistant, ex-wife of
Logan Starbuck (25). Her daughter, autistic, disappeared in December 2021 and was found drowned in the Spokane River in February 2022, ruled a suicide

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 15 December 2023.

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Tom Walker. man she met three weeks earlier, exchanged sexual texts with her on December 1, alibi at a funeral and cell tower records
John Kenline (alias John Wilson). married Spokane teacher she met on a dating site in September 2011, visited her house at 10:30 on December 1, no trace of his DNA found
James Dresback. Spokane County sheriff's detective who interviewed at the Deer Park substation
Meredith Pearson. son's teacher who testified told her he would not be surprised if Shannon was found with her throat slit
Austin Starbuck. eldest son, defended his father and described his mother as a great mom
Blake Starbuck. 19-year-old son, defended his father and wanted a thorough investigation
Marshall Starbuck. youngest son, found by DNA not to be child
Mr Reed. defence attorney

The timeline

  1. 1969 Chanin Denise Conway is born in Anderson, Indianaabout 0:12:44
  2. 1990 She marries about 0:14:54
  3. 2000 The couple divorce, then get back together four months laterabout 0:16:08
  4. 2006 They marry again, in Alaska where works on oil pipelinesabout 0:17:13
  5. July 2010 They file for divorce againabout 0:17:47
  6. a year later Divorce is finalised: she gets custody of the three youngest children, a restraining order against , and child support and alimonyabout 0:18:56
  7. September 2011 She meets John Kenline on a dating websiteabout 0:42:39
  8. November 21, 2001 (as said) tells son's teacher Meredith Pearson he would not be surprised if Shannon were found with her throat slit, about ten days before the murderabout 0:55:01

Places and phrases

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode